


New Life, New Me(ad)

by Hoehoehoelt



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Abuse, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Idk how to tag stuff yeet, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Memory Loss, Mental Health Issues, Minor Injuries, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Romance, Sickness, Story, ahhhhh all that fun stuff, and making up my own stuff occasionally, game, writing as I go along with the game I think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 14:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17788949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoehoehoelt/pseuds/Hoehoehoelt
Summary: Mead Ryder knew that going to Andromeda would mean giving up his life on Earth. But honestly, that’s a life he was more than willing to run several galaxies away from.Even with his Father that had caused him so much pain growing up and was about to unintentionally cause more.Not knowing anything about himself after an unknown and unregistered malfunction in his cryopod, not only does Mead need to figure out how to save the human race, he has to figure out who he is too.And hopefully regain his memories along the way.Though maybe there are some that are better off left buried.





	1. Blank Slate

_Pain…_

 

Pain was the first thing Mead Ryder felt blossoming from the back of his head before any other senses came back. It spread from the base of his skull to his frontal lobe like a wildfire, giving off the sensation of having your head beaten in by a loose pipe before whoever was doing it got bored and went onto sticking tiny needles in, small pinpricks of pain here and there. Yet despite the pain, he couldn’t seem to make a sound. It died down eventually anyway, which he was grateful for...

The next sense to return however, was sound. People’s voices muffled as the fuzz in his ears attempted to clear itself, footsteps echoing around...Wherever he was, maybe a long corridor for some reason judging by the way it echoed. Scraping noises followed, as well as weird beeping noises and the odd _“schhh”_ of machines etc etc. Wherever he was, it was busy.

 

Then, he could taste. Taste how dry his mouth was, feel how heavy his tongue was in his mouth. It was like having your entire mouth made out of sandpaper...Gross. He would have really like a glass of water right now...

 

Smell was next. It was hard to pinpoint...Clean, but..Metallic? Not like blood...Almost like the machinery he thought he could here? There wasn’t really anything Mead could pinpoint, but it did make his stomach churn a little.

 

Finally, Mead actually managed to feel something in his body. He could twitch his fingers, curl his toes. Nothing was broken. Not like it would be, anyway. Not that he thought anything would be...He finally managed to force himself to take a deep breath, through his nose, out his mouth...Then slowly, pushed himself up.

 

Big mistake.

 

Almost instantaneously, the room somehow began to spin. He groaned loudly and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands, just wishing he could make it to stop through sheer willpower alone.

 

But it wouldn’t, and just a few seconds later, he was collapsed onto his side, puking up mostly bile on to the once clean and spotless floor.

 

Mead’s puking caught the attention of two nearby scientists, who rushed over to him instantly. They helped him sit upright again, even if he really didn’t want to and flinched away from their touch. Once he was sorted, the woman briefly wiped his chin with a soft cloth whilst the man frowned and said he’d be back with Dr T’perro.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

The woman was looking up at him, a mixture of concern and confusion on her face. Mead managed to crack his eyes open to look at her briefly, before screwing them shut again and whimpering pathetically, shaking his head slowly.

 

The woman did open her mouth to ask another question, but never got the chance as an Asaari woman in a lab coat just as stark and white as the walls strode over to the pair. She knelt down, being careful to avoid the puddle of vomit by her side, then gently took Mead by the chin, prompting him to face her and look at him.

 

“I need to check your eyes, Ryder. Can you open them for me..?”

 

That...Brought Mead pause. Pushing his long brown hair out of his face, he hesitated for a moment, then finally tried his best to look at the...Strange blue woman in front of him.

 

His first question was;

 

“Who’s Ryder…?”


	2. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mead is currently very, very confused about a lot of things, but he's slowly learning.

Mead quickly learned that that wasn't a question he should have asked, nor one the others, especially the doctor, had been expecting him to ask.

****

He was transported to medbay almost immediately, though he wasn't the only one apparently, which made him feel slightly better about it. He saw a few other people walking in and out of there as they approached, and a few more sitting on the hospital beds. He got the feeling he hated hospitals, a strange discomfort overcoming him and causing him to hesitate at the doors. Doctor T'perro stopped with him, moving in front of him slightly to check his face.

****

''Are you alright? Do you feel sick again?''

****

Mead just shook his head, taking a deep breath. He figured going here would be unavoidable, especially given he couldn't even remember _who_ the hell he was or _where_ the hell he was. So he just took a deep breath, hoping to calm the jitter in his nerves before allowing Doctor T'perro to lead him inside.

****

Almost instantly the typical smell of most hospitals hit him. Disinfectant, antiseptic, _coffee_ strangely enough, though most of the people there seemed to be drinking something so he wasn't entirely surprised. They all must have just woken up like him. Still, he just felt so uneasy with it all. Lifting a hand to his mouth, he took to chewing on the corner of his jacket sleeve to keep himself occupied and at least semi-calm.

****

He was lead over to a bed in the far corner of the vast room and told to sit down, which he did without bother of course. A few seconds later he found himself engulfed in a strange orange light, and turning around to try and find the source of it, he saw that there was a weird...Screen, floating on Doctor T'perro's arm! It caused him more confusion that alarm, and he shyly pointed at it after she was apparently done making him glow.

****

''What..Is that?'' 

****

Doctor T'perro paused whatever she was doing, reading something about her patient Mead guessed from the way it had somehow scanned him, to give Mead a cool and neutral look. Even if he _could_ see the cogs turning in her brain from Mead's apparent confusion.

****

''This is called a scanner, Ryder. Not everyone has one. Medics like myself usually do, and some high ranking officials and members of survey teams but other than that...You have one too, you know.''

****

Mead's eyes widened at that. He _did_? How was he supposed to make it appear? He looked down at his arms, tentatively tapping each one, but nothing appeared. When he looked up at Doctor T'perro, Mead saw she was smiling slightly in amusement at his curiosity.

****

''Don't worry, I'll help you figure out how to open it in a moment. First, we need to do this...Do you remember your name yet?''

****

Mead sighed softly, closing his eyes briefly. No matter how much he dug and dug, he just...Didn't know anything. About himself, about this place and the blue people, about the weird floating screens and futuristic coffins.

****

He shook his head, opening his eyes once more.

****

''You keep calling me Ryder...Isn't that it?''

****

He cocks his head to the side, waiting for a response. The Asaari woman just shakes her head, a frown overtaking her features once more.

****

''No...Your name is Mead. Ryder is your last name.''

****

''Mead? Like...The drink?''

****

It was the only thing that came to Mead's head. He liked the name, liked how soft it sounded. He mouthed it once more to himself for good measure, but he really was questioning who would name him after an alcoholic beverage.

****

Doctor T'perro just nodded.

****

''Yes Mead, like the drink. But next question...Do you remember how old you are?''

****

Mead tried to think again, but shook his head once more. He didn't _feel_ old, and his hands certainly weren't wrinkly, but he could be wrong.

****

''Nope.''

****

Doctor T'perro sighed quietly, tapping something on her scanner.

****

''You're twenty one years old, Mead.''

****

Twenty one...Not old at all then. Young, if anything. What was he doing here?

****

''Do you know where you are? What happened before all of this?''

****

Mead brought his hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was trying so hard...But there was nothing. His earliest memories were pain and puking. Nothing else. Growing slightly frustrated, at himself more than anything, he moved his hand to cover his eyes.

****

''Doctor, I don't remember _anything_! I'm sorry but these questions...I don't...''

****

Mead could feel tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. _'Don't cry don't cry...'_ was all he could think. Crying in front of all these people would be bad...Just as he was trying to calm himself down though, tension and stress filling his body, his brain suddenly felt like it was being hit again, however much harder than earlier and with an even bigger pipe. This time, he couldn't choke down his discomfort. The pain was so strong, all he could do was cry out, startling Doctor T'perro and a few others in the medbay. All his other senses seemed to disappear in that moment, the pain being searing and practically blinding. Mead clutched at his head, but nothing seemed to alleviate it.

****

But as quick as it came, it disappeared again. Which was a relief, but still left Mead with an unpleasant ache in his brain. As his senses came back to him, he was aware of the fact that he was laying down, pretty much curled up on himself in a fetal position. His cheeks felt wet too...He supposed he had started crying...Mead could hear multiple voices around him, the familiar worried voice of Doctor T'perro, another unfamiliar Male one, frantic and trying to figure out what was wrong with Mead.

****

Then a deep robotic one, offering an explanation and alerting them to the fact that the unexpected pain had went away and their patient was aware again.

****

It startled him enough to make him sit up suddenly, which brought another wave of vertigo and nausea much like before, but at least he didn't puke this time. Not that there was anything left for him _to_ puke.

****

''Mead!''

****

A pair of hands on his shoulders attempt to steady him, but he quickly shrugs them off again on instinct. He manages to choke out a weak ''I'm fine...'' as he reaches up to wipe the tears from his eyes and cheeks, even if it was _far_ from the truth.

****

Apparently that was what the mysterious Male doctor thought too, because he snorted. Though a light tap on the arm from Doctor T'perro stopped that quickly. She sent the doctor away to get him something to drink, which Mead was grateful for. She was silent for a bit, then just sighed in defeat.

****

''That's enough for today...I don't want to push your memories anymore, they seem fragile...You should know though..You do have a family here. I figure it better to tell you than to leave you wandering aimlessly...''

****

Mead rose an eyebrow at that. A family..? That hadn't even came to mind for him. A family...He wondered what they were like.

****

Giving Doctor T'perro an inquisitive stare, she hums and crosses her arms.

****

''Well first of all, you have your father. Alec. He's the pathfinder of the Ark we're on. We left earth nearly six hundred years ago and we're currently sailing through the Andromeda cluster, trying to find a new home for the human race...You're a part of the Pathfinder team..Though I don't know if you're up for going honestly...''

****

A little more information than Mead had been expecting, and it hadn't exactly been about his ''Father''...Mead wondered if that meant something. The doctor continued however, perhaps a little too quickly if Mead was one to judge.

****

''And then your twin sister, Sara. She's a little older than you I believe. You've got the same green eyes, dark skin...Her hair is just as long as yours, but she dyed it bright blue before coming here. She's a sweet girl, I met her briefly back on Earth. You two...Well, no point dwelling. She's currently being woken from her cryopod. She shouldn't be much longer however. And finally;''

****

''Hello Ryder.''

****

The same robotic voice from before came back all of a sudden, though Mead didn't startle as easily. He had meant to ask, but didn't want to interrupt the doctor.

****

''This is S.A.M, Mead. He's an AI your father created. Everyone who needs it has an implant with his coding embedded in it, making him an instant helper I suppose...You have an implant too, so all you have to do is ask for him and he'll do whatever he can to help you accomplish your goals.''

****

Mead nodded. It was a lot to wrap his head around but...He was able to keep up for the most part. No headaches so far anyway, which was always good. Still, he had one more question.

****

''Who are you? What...Are you?''

****

If the Doctor was taken aback by the sudden questions, she didn't show it. If anything she seemed intrigued, but whatever questions she was burning to ask, she didn't bother to for the moment as she pulled out her notes again though and typed something in whilst she _finally_ introduced herself.

****

''I'm Lexi T'perro, Mead. And I'm an Asaari, an...Alien species, I suppose. I could give you a whole rundown of what I am but I'll stick to the basics for now.''

****

She said that last part with a small teasing smile, which honestly made Mead feel at ease.

****

Then his whole world turned upside down.

****

Well, not literally. But there was a loud crashing and scraping noise and then everyone and everything was floating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ^^ I hope you're all enjoying this so far! Slightly longer chapter this time but let me know if you'd prefer shorter ones!
> 
> Check out my tumblr! @Jaffa-keksi, for pictures of Mead ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this first chapter!!! ^^ I really wanna keep going with this. It might take a hundred years, but I have a good feeling about this!!!


End file.
